How Paper Boxes Are Made / A practical and instructive book telling how the beginner may manufacture all kinds of paper boxes, with special chapters on the printing department for paper box plants, embossing, gold-leafing, label work, etc.

by Robert F. Salade

THE PRINTING DEPARTMENT (Continued)

ONE of the larger paper box manufacturing concerns of Philadelphia is operating a printing department in connection with its plant which is equipped and managed in a highly efficient manner. This printing department includes a complete composing room, cylinder and platen presses of various models and sizes, bronzing machines and paper cutters. Many kinds of printed matter are being produced, but the principal specialty consists of wrappers for fine candy boxes. The business cards of candy manufacturers are printed on these wrappers. Some of the printing is done in straight colors like black, blue, red, green, etc.; some is done in gold printing ink. Other wrappers are printed in gold size and afterwards finished in gold bronze, others still are printed in gold size and afterwards finished with gold leaf. Moreover, many of the fancy wrappers are printed in beautiful designs in several different colors.

Usually, the wrappers containing business cards, or designs, done in gold ink, bronze, or gold leaf, are embossed after the gold had been applied. Some of the business cards, or designs, printed in colors are also embossed after the printing has been done.

Among the time-saving features in this plant are two platen presses which produce bronzed wrappers in connection with two bronzing machines. Running between each platen press and each bronzing machine is an endless conveyor which carries the freshly-inked sheets from the press to the bronzing machine. In other words, the feeder of the press lays the damp sheets on the conveyor as the sheets are taken from the press, and the conveyor automatically “feeds” the sheets into the bronzing machine.

The old way of applying bronze powder to freshly-inked sheets was in first printing the design in gold size, and then sprinkling the bronze powder over the design with the aid of a piece of raw cotton. This is the old method of hand bronzing, and is still being done in some printing offices which do not possess bronzing machines. The hand process of bronzing is slow and very unpleasant to the workers who apply the bronze powder, the worker’s hands, face and clothing soon becoming covered with the bronze which also flies all over the work-rooms.